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<br />
<br />
<br />18B
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<br />, , _d'_ CALIFORNIA~FI8H AND GAME
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<br />FIG. 78,
<br />
<br />Needles Boat Landing, Lake Havasu, The largest resort on the lo"~r rin!',
<br />Feb. 194Z.
<br />
<br />Resorts
<br />In 1942 there were only a few places scattered along the ri'f~
<br />hi 'h miO'ht be termed "resorts." A few boa~ were for r~nt 1,
<br />iia~ghteli~ Lake (not on the river itself), bu~ thIS small lake IS, ~r.-
<br />quented primarily by l?cal people. . At Martmez Lake ~ th:r;~ "a:T'I.
<br />small temporary conceSSlOn and landmg spot. There wei e .1 h~ ~ -
<br />cessions on Lake Havasu, some closed by the war" The larr";, ,:,1 ~~
<br />and the largest on the river, Needles Boat Landmg, h~d A ["illS "':
<br />rent and 34 private boats were m~ored there, Accordmg t'~n t.l~ ~;:
<br />prietor about 10 outs~de boat,S came ~n each ,veek, Only at La].." Ha
<br />were any housekeepmg cabms available, , . 00,0 ,1;.;.\...i
<br />Doubtless after the war further concesslOns WIll, ~e e,,\\,Ut~.~
<br />:Mr. Walter p, Schaefer, Superintendent of ~he Havasu Re!Uge<.11:;i'::...~
<br />me in 1942 that he expected three recreatIOnal areas to be e,,"~?l;i~,_
<br />on the lake. He estimated that "over an average .week-ell\~.. \~,;:":
<br />would then be about 500 people at Needles Boat Landmg and flUID -'
<br />to 300 at each of the other two resort areas,
<br />
<br />Practicable Fishing Season
<br />
<br />In some parts of California heavy snows make certain ~r:
<br />inaccessible except for a few months of the year. In such p1aet'S. '.-
<br />"practicable fishincr season" is much shorter than, the legal fishlllg ~~~"':.
<br />'" b t fa,ora;.=
<br />Other areas may be accessible throughout the yea~, . u un eL~ i
<br />water temperatures, turbidity, and other factors lImIt. the, s~ it ",-6
<br />fishing during portions of the open season, and would.s1;IlllImlt DWUJf.
<br />if the legal season were to be extended. In determmmg the a
<br />
<br />~,_FI?H.t.:1:.'): dVl" ,T.t1j;;. .l,<Y~~. "".lJ~"'~_"~.!.."''''____
<br />
<br />",:~ (and when formulating restrictive legislation) 'it' is ,.' '::">
<br />i;t~l~~t.e cafefully the effect of this practicable season oJl;"~:.~":~
<br />
<br />,,:::::L~"!"!:-~. -
<br />:,~~~oloTaao Ri.~r ii-eil is accessible at any time bfyeai'i'-::::'- -f~::
<br />'~~.e~1VIllters are mIld enough so that fishing at this time will." '
<br />~:*E;f~ th~ standpoint of the fisherman's comfort alone, it' " '
<br />.,,_":,~d~er that he has..but little desire to try his luCk"~-~~~~-:.:.:
<br />~~,.,it~ possIble to catch most, if not all, of its fishes at any
<br />';.:-~).Atpresent the legal fi~hing season extends throughout
<br />'jihlSsrea. However, there IS a natural check on this activity
<br />:~~'ascl'ibed to the factors of air and water temperature.
<br />~1ffl>Orls of local fishermen differ somewhat, there is a fair
<br />,.,i..."."." .".' '.periud-:ITom~Marclrto-Jnne- providesthe::hest-::bass=-==
<br />,. {lOlldary perIod ensues during the fall (roughly mid- ,
<br />~embe:).Thus, the summer and winter periods are
<br />,~e'~rest and one doesn6t find a heavy concentration
<br />:<!;Se ~lID~S., Reference to the graphs of water tempera-
<br />,jFIgs59, 60, 61) shows that the usual spring fishing
<br />_T' ne3r~-60o F., and declines as it approaches 800 F. In
<br />;~~!' starts again as the temperature falls from its
<br />.-, Such a phenomenon is well known in other 1ish-
<br />~J~()r both warm-water and cold-water fishes. The activ-
<br />}J:ndoubtedly inhibited by cold, and both very cold water
<br />'" r bring a disinclination for them to strike. Thus
<br />"':;~i.,.;"",;:pJl.lywhen conditions are most propitious.
<br />""'-'~ be noted that the spring fishing season coincides
<br />C?'f1th the spawning season of most of the river's fishes.
<br />ll~well,known phenomenon, Centrarchids are particularly
<br />,pttrre at~uch times. The author has had a fair amount
<br />flifishermen in other parts of California who have urO'ed'
<br />u be opened earlier since "you can't catch the fish
<br />pens." Such fishermen have invariably claimed how-
<br />ass.are "a~ spawned out" prior to the op~n period ~hich
<br />.,..f;'::,-'" ,e makmg no comment on the latter point, it was with
<br />rISethat the writer discovered many Colorado Hiver fishermen
<br />'~~'7tlYn:ank in saying that, of course, the best fishing was
<br />..,;!!p2:wnmg season. One forthright individual even claimed,
<br />~;'.ell~ch 'em unless they are spa'\\JJ.ing," (See p. 197, for a
<br />..:t~on of this point.)
<br />
<br />;jt'~J!~ldoubtedly true that a close correlation can be found
<br />.~:,:~mperature, spawning season and the usual fishing
<br />....~;\true that the angler's own comfort plays some part in
<br />~..tatter period. With all due allowances for the favor-
<br />;,.,~.,}~):he climate of the Colorado basin, it is no fun to fish
<br />}@i-~er. It is claimed by some local men that fishing
<br />-=",%"9:: durmg the summer (especially in earlj" morning or
<br />-rn sta?d ~he he~t. The seas~nal agricultural activity
<br />,.,efishmg mtensIty of the reSIdents. For example in
<br />o~e lettuce harvesting is said to be a period when ~ost
<br />,to fish:
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